A Central Criminal Court jury will on Wednesday resume considering its verdict in the trial of Richard Satchwell, who denies the murder of his wife at their Co Cork home.
The skeletal remains of Tina Satchwell were found under the couple’s home in October 2023, more than six years after her husband reported her missing.
Mr Satchwell (58), a lorry driver, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his 45-year-old wife Tina at their home at No 3 Grattan Street, Youghal, on March 19th and 20th, 2017.
The trial, now in its fifth week, heard evidence from more than 50 witnesses before the jury heard closing speeches on behalf of the prosecution and defence.
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On Tuesday, Mr Justice Paul McDermott completed his directions to the jury on the evidence and law. At 3.05pm, he asked the seven women and five men to begin their deliberations.
Just before 4pm, the jury were, at their request, sent home. The judge asked them to return to court at 10.30am on Wednesday to resume considering their verdict.
The jury has been told there are three possible verdicts open to them – not guilty of murder; guilty of murder; and not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.
It is also open to them to consider, depending on their view of the evidence, a defence of partial self-defence and a defence of full self-defence, the judge said.
The trial heard Mr Satchwell went to Fermoy garda station on March 24th, 2017, where he told a garda his wife had disappeared from their home four days later. He believed she had left him and had taken €26,000 cash savings. He told a garda he was not concerned about her safety.
After gardaí interviewed him in early May 2017, he formally reported his wife as a missing person about a week later.
Gardaí, increasingly concerned something untoward had happened to Ms Satchwell, obtained a warrant search the couple’s home in June 2017 when devices were seized.
In October 2023, gardaí carried out a full invasive search of the property, using a cadaver dog. Skeletal remains identified as Ms Satchwell were found on October 11th, 2023, buried in a grave site about one metre deep in an area under the stairs in the sitting room.
Mr Satchwell, who had been arrested but released before the remains were found, was rearrested and, during another interview with gardaí, told them his wife had flown at him with a chisel on the morning of March 20th 2017.
He said he fell and she came on top of him trying to stab him with the chisel. He said, while fending her off with the belt of her dressing gown robe which was up around her neck, she went limp and died.
He told gardaí there was “no premeditation” and he had not called emergency services due to “panic and shame”.
A post-mortem examination of the remains was, due to lapse of time, unable to establish a cause of death. The jury heard there was no evidence of fractures to the bones, including the hyoid bone in the neck.
